Filias to Preside over 2006 New England Grows! Conference and Exhibition

Record-Breaking Crowd Expected at Green Industry Event

BOSTON, Mass. - New England Grows 2006, the Northeast's premier educational conference and green industry exposition opened this past Tuesday, January 31 and continued through February 2, 2006 at the region's largest convention facility, the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC). As the show prepares to open its doors for the 14th year in a row, record attendance of between 14,000 and 16,000 is expected based on pre-registration numbers. In addition, more than 700 exhibitors have booked nearly 1500 booth spaces in the BCEC's 500,000 square feet of exposition space.

"This is a watershed year for New England Grows," said president John Filias, MCLP of Jeffrey's Creek Land Contractors, Inc. in Manchester, MA. "Building on the phenomenal success of last year's show, we expect another record-breaking turnout this year that will cement our position as a premier "green industry" educational conference."

The show has already become a must-attend event for growers, retailers and landscape professionals in the Northeast. As past attendee and exhibitor, Pete Bottomley of Coast of Maine Organics, recently told People, Places,& Plants Magazine (PPP), "I always look forward to New England Grows as a time and place where I can reconnect with friends and meet new people in our industry. We all benefit from the size, scope and educational opportunities that a show of this size can offer."

Once again, New England Grows' educational program features well-respected industry professionals, academics, researchers, and marketing specialists from across the nation and around the globe. Among these are plant expert extraordinaire Dr. Allan Armitage of the University of Georgia; marketing guru Marty Grunder of Miami, Florida; Vermont-based landscape architecture wizards Wayne Winterrowd and Joe Eck; tree expert Dr. Ed Gilman of the University of Florida; and garden center owner and retailing authority Brian Minter of British Columbia. Complete program information is available at www.NEGrows.org. As another exhibitor and attendee, Carol Huntington of Pleasant Views Gardens in Loudon, N.H. recently remarked to PPP, "New England Grows continues to raise the bar on what companies expect from a well-run trade show: high-caliber speakers, exhibitors, attendees, and facilities. ‘Grows' is a MUST for industry members."

Three learning parks - Arbor Park, Fieldstone Park and Garden Park - will mark their second year on the trade show floor. These popular additions to last winter's show feature live, hands-on demonstrations where participants can learn the latest techniques for skills such as tree climbing, walk and patio building and shrub pruning. New this year, online resources for retail garden centers will be a focus for Garden Park, and Fieldstone Park will feature a natural stone walls built on-site during the course of the conference. The results of the New England Nursery Association's current economic impact study will also be announced at New England Grows. The recent survey shows New England's environmental horticulture industry contributes approximately $4.6 billion a year to the regional economy. Complete results, including state-by-state conclusions, will be released at the educational conference and copies will be made available to attendees.

New England Grows is an educational partnership between the New England Nursery Association, Associated Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Arborists Association, Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association, and its network includes more than 30 allied green industry organizations. Its five person Board of Directors is made up of one representative from each of the founding organizations as well as the shows Executive Director. Filias, formerly of Manchester and currently residing in Essex, has been involved with the local Green Industry at the statewide level since 1993 when elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Associated Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts. After a successful turn as President in 2000 - 2001, Filias was asked to be the associations representative on the Board of New England Grows, which he gladly accepted.

At that time, the show was being housed at the John B. Hynes Auditorium in Boston, but the space there had maximized and the waiting list was growing long. Filias, along with all of the former past presidents, met for a weekend summit in Newport, RI where it was decided to move the show in 2005 to the then under construction BCEC. Filias took a key role in the planning and layout for the new venue which was more than double the size of any previous show. The '05 show was a tremendous success thanks to the vision and fortitude of its Board of Directors and the diligent work of its Management Team.

After living in Manchester for most of his life, John now resides in Essex with his wife Paula and daughters Lindsay and Alexandra.

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